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Wednesday Reviews : Recent Reads

Hi everyone! First off, I want to thank you all so much for leaving me such nice comments on my first race recap. It meant a lot to have so much support after a rough race. But, like a lot of you mentioned, I should be happy with the fact that I finished, and take the lessons that I learned to improve for my next race. Can't wait!

Today, I wanted to review some recent books that I've read. As I mention in most of my monthly goals, it's been a big goal of mine this year to start reading more. I started off this year trying to read one book a month, but I recently raised that to two a month. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites from the year so far!

This book follows three different story-lines that all center around one night. One story is in the present, while another is in the past. The characters are all involved in a mysterious event, and as their stories coincide we finally find out what happened that night. The main character is a drunken divorcee who is extremely unlikeable, but occasionally I felt sorry for her and a bit of compassion. The book is a really easy read, and suspenseful up until the very end. My rating: 9/10.

Another book with multiple narrators and story lines. The beginning is confusing, and the writing style is really unique. I wasn't a fan of the book for the first few chapters, but it picked up once we found out the connection between the characters. For the most part, their story lines were all separate. At the very end, we see how they all come together in a devastating twist. This is another easy read once you get past the first part of the book!My rating: 7/10.

The story follows a nerdy high school boy who spends an unforgettable night with his neighbor, who happens to be his biggest crush. The next morning she disappears, and the rest of the book is spent trying to solve the mystery of where she is, following "clues" that she left behind. This was a slow read for me because most of the book was devoted to finding Margo and didn't have much of a plot. I was also disappointed in the ending, but would love to see this in a movie. I think the story lends itself to a movie script better than a movie, so I can't wait to see it!My rating: 6/10

After watching "Gone Girl" in theatres, I wanted to read one of Gillian Flynn's novels. This one isn't quite as disturbing as Gone Girl, but was equally captivating and suspenseful. The book follows a young woman who was the lone survivor of a brutal attack against her family. Her brother was held responsible for the crime, although a group of people think that he is innocent. As we flip between the present and the past, we find out what really happened that night and the ending shocked me. This is being made into a movie and I can't wait for it to be released!My rating: 9/10

This book centers around a mysterious murder, much like Dark Places. A homicide detective has been trying to find her sister's killer for years. Along the way, she finds out deep, dark secrets that her small town tried to keep from her, and also ends up falling in love. This is an easy read, and I can't wait for the sequel to come out!My rating: 8/10

This book is a great reference for anyone who runs- whether you're a newbie or seasoned runner. Some of the information wasn't helpful to me, but there are a lot of pages I marked to look back on. I loved the section on injuries, including what cross training would help and hurt you depending on where your injury is. There are also full meal plans for hitting all of your macros during training and race week, as well as tons of different speed workouts. I'll be using the book for years to come, and I also loved the inspirational stories sprinkled in!My rating: 8.5/10

What book should I read next?Have you read any of these books? Thoughts?Do you like seeing film adaptations of books?

I loved The Girl on the Train, The Husband's Secret, and Dark Places...so I think I'm going to have to read My Sister's Grave! Right now I'm reading "A Sudden Light" by Garth Stein, because I loved The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's interesting so far; I've only read a few chapters but I have a feeling it's going to pick up the pace really fast!

Whoa, I was the exact opposite. I thought Dark Places was 100% more disturbing than Gone Girl. That book was so dark and creepy. I loved Gone Girl!

I'm reading The Girl on the Train right now. I should be able to finish it today on my lunch break. I sat down to read a little bit last night, but ended up reading for over an hour.

You might enjoy In the Woods by Tana French. As a child the narrator and his friends are playing in the woods and he is the only one who comes out (the other children disappear). Now, as an adult, the narrator is investigating a murder that takes place in the same woods. So you get two murder mysteries tied into one book. Very twisty ending.

I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm not quite sure what scene you are talking about. I didn't think anything disgusting happens in the book...but I haven't read it recently so maybe I'm just not remembering it?

I'm not sure if you've read it, but The Goldfinch is absolutely incredible. I highly recommend it! I did read Girl on the Train and I thought it was okay. Maybe it's because I read it right after Gone Girl but I felt like it was pretty similar/somewhat predictable. I do like seeing the movie of books, but only sometimes. I refuse to see the Great Gatsby because it is my absolute favorite book of all time, and if the movie doesn't line up with my thoughts/expectations, I would be totally devastated.

I'll have to add that to my list! I've also heard that the two books are similar. I never read GG just saw the movie, so maybe that's why I liked it? Definitely don't see Great Gatsby..I also loved the book and the movie was HORRIBLE! I couldn't even finish it because it sucked so much! Save yourself the trauma and just skip it.

Oh yes, books! I've also been working on reading more for the last year and a half. I've read Husband's Secret, Dark Places, and The Girl on the Train. I liked Husband's Secret a little more than you and Dark Places a little less. :) Right now I'm reading "Into the Darkest Corner" by Elizabeth Haynes (I think!!) and really enjoying it!Gina || On the Daily Express

Oh wow, you weren't kidding about the book being long (almost 1,000 pages!). I might have to check that one out when I have lots of free time. It sounds really interesting after reading the first page on Amazon!

I love this goal! It was a goal of mine as well for 2015, but I've found that I'm reading more textbooks than actual books. Those count, right?! ;) I am reading The Goldfinch right now because I've heard it's amazing, but I also highly recommend The Likeness by Tana French, especially if you like thrillers (which, based on the list above you do!)

Girl on the Train is a fun one for summer/vacation, right? I sped through it in one day on our Bahamas trip - those crazy people keep you turning the pages for sure. I like Liane Moriarty too - if you haven't read What Alice Forgot, that's my favorite of hers. And Looking for Alaska is another good John Greene one if you haven't read that. I recently finished The Universe Versus Alex Woods which isn't young adult but reads YA-ish and it's excellent. Happy reading :)

I also read it on vacation! It was a perfect plane book. I'll definitely check out those books! I'm not sure how I feel about Liane's writing style, but I'll give her another shot :) Thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks for the suggestions! I read Gone Girl and just saw the movie so I'll definitely add Dark Places to my list. The Girl on the Train sounds great too. And I need to get the RW book since I've heard so much of it. This is timely since I am just finishing a book (Stephen King's Under the Dome since the TV series intrigued me) so will need some good summer reads.

Oohh, thanks for the suggestions! I'm wanting to see Paper Towns (fan of Cara Delevingne) and have heard tons of great stuff about Girl on the Train. I think a beach vacation is in order so I can plow through all the books I want to read. :)

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